This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

The federal government is expected to spend approximately $3.8 trillion this year. The sequestration measure that went into effect on March 1 imposed $85 billion in spending cuts. That amounts to a reduction in annual government spending of approximately 2.2 percent.

Would any reasonable person question whether the U.S. government could reduce its spending by 2.2 percent without it leading to the end of the world as we know it?